Two weeks had passed since Augustus and Lucius had left Nording Island.
Bathed in the morning sun, Star Castle shone brilliantly as a single letter broke the usual tranquility.
Seated at the dining table, Adrian Ambrosius held a thin envelope in his hand.
The discarded envelope bore a wax seal stamped with a large H, surrounded by the four familiar emblems—a lion, a serpent, a badger, and an eagle.
Looking over the contents, Adrian Ambrosius read aloud softly.
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Albus Dumbledore
(Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Recipient of the First Class Order of Merlin)
Dear Mr.
Adrian Ambrosius Ambrosius,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Enclosed is a list of the required books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1.
We await your owl no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
“I was beginning to think Hogwarts had forgotten about me.”
Adrian Ambrosius set the letter down and picked up a bright red cherry from his breakfast, popping it into his mouth.
“So…”
“My journey in this world officially begins now.”
That was the thought running through his mind.
Nearby, the school owl watched the handsome blond boy with its large amber eyes, seemingly waiting for something.
Seeing its expectant look, Adrian Ambrosius smiled.
“Shufus, get our little messenger something to eat.”
“Right away, Young Master.”
When Shufus returned, he carried a tray of carefully prepared dried deep-sea silverfish.
The owl happily pecked at the fish, letting out contented hoots between bites.
“Since Hogwarts’ letter has arrived…”
“It’s about time I made some preparations.”
Turning to the house-elf, Adrian Ambrosius said,
“Shufus, I need to make a trip to Gringotts.”
“Understood, Young Master.”
Without needing further instructions, Shufus immediately fetched Adrian Ambrosius’s favorite traveling robes—a finely tailored black robe trimmed with elegant gold embroidery.
With a practiced Clothing Charm, Adrian Ambrosius instantly changed into the custom-made robes from Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions.
The perfectly fitted attire accentuated his slender frame.
Combined with his naturally upright posture, he carried himself with a noble elegance rarely seen in someone only eleven years old.
After briefly combing his golden hair into place, Adrian Ambrosius walked to the fireplace.
He picked up a handful of Floo Powder and tossed it into the flames.
Unlike the ordinary emerald flames used by most witches and wizards, brilliant golden fire erupted around him.
A moment later, he disappeared.
At the same time, Shufus Apparated away, effortlessly following his young master to their destination.
As for Nording Island…
Although it appeared deserted, the magical barrier surrounding it was no joke. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Even Voldemort or Dumbledore would have to rack their brains to break through the newly reinforced wards.
Without Adrian Ambrosius’s permission, there wasn’t a single well-known figure in the wizarding world who could simply walk inside.
Of course…
If someone actually possessed the ability to force their way onto Nording Island…
Adrian Ambrosius would welcome them with open arms.
Why?
Because if someone was powerful enough to do that…
There was no way he could beat them.
At that point, surrendering immediately would obviously be the smartest option.
Hundreds of miles away, inside Gringotts Wizarding Bank, a special Floo connection had been reserved exclusively for its most distinguished clients.
It spared them the inconvenience of traveling through Diagon Alley’s crowded streets.
“Cough…
cough…”
Wrinkling his nose, Adrian Ambrosius covered his mouth.
“This stupid Floo Network…”
“I have no idea who designed it.”
“Even after layering a Cleaning Charm over myself, this ridiculous soot still gets everywhere.”
Shufus, already accustomed to hearing this complaint, asked,
“Young Master…
would you like me to suggest improvements to Gringotts?”
“No.”
Adrian Ambrosius’s face was filled with disdain.
“The Floo Network hasn’t changed in centuries.”
“With their mortal intelligence, they wouldn’t improve anything anyway.”
“When I have time, I’ll dismantle a few Floo connections myself and redesign the whole thing.”
Shufus’ eyes sparkled with admiration.
As expected of Young Master!
Young Master is amazing!
Adrian Ambrosius casually waved his wand.
The dusty air around them instantly became much cleaner.
Then he strode into Gringotts’ grand banking hall.
The bank’s employees were all goblins.
Greedy as they might be, they were remarkably dependable when it came to their work.
Well…
Provided one ignored their rather ridiculous accounting methods.
On the eastern continent there had been the abacus.
In the modern world there were calculators.
Yet for some reason, these goblins still insisted on calculating everything by hand with pen and paper.
Not only was it inefficient…
It also required an enormous amount of time just to ensure accuracy.
Ordinarily, the goblins paid little attention to customers passing through the hall.
But the moment Adrian Ambrosius entered, every goblin present stood and respectfully bowed to him.
After all…
And unlike ordinary wizards, this young master thought in completely different ways.
The modern bookkeeping system he had introduced during one of his previous visits had dramatically simplified their work.
The senior goblins had praised him endlessly, and every employee in the bank had benefited.
Returning their greetings with a polite nod, Adrian Ambrosius walked toward the highest service counter.
Perhaps because he himself had survived thanks to Shufus’ devoted care…
Or perhaps because of the values he carried over from modern society…
Adrian Ambrosius had always looked down upon the wizarding world’s outdated system of slavery.
It was already 1991.
How could a civilization that constantly boasted of its superiority still maintain such absurd customs?
For that reason, Adrian Ambrosius had never looked down on the house-elves who spent their entire lives serving wizarding families.
Behind the counter sat an elderly goblin.
Well…
“Elderly” might not have been the right word.
“Old goblin” was probably more accurate.
Adrian Ambrosius recognized him immediately.
He was none other than the goblin who had received Harry Potter during his first visit to Gringotts in the original story.
Without even looking up, the old goblin continued scribbling rapidly across his ledger.
“Welcome.”
“How may Gringotts assist you today?”
Adrian Ambrosius reached into his robes and placed an ornate golden key set with a ruby onto the counter.
“I’d like to withdraw a few items from my vault.”
The voice sounded oddly familiar.
The old goblin looked up.
The instant he recognized Adrian Ambrosius, a broad smile spread across his wrinkled face.
“So it’s Young Master Adrian Ambrosius.”
“What brings you to Gringotts personally today?”
Adrian Ambrosius smiled.
“I’ll be starting school soon.”
“I realized I don’t have much spending money on hand.”
The old goblin sighed with emotion.
“Time certainly flies.”
“Young Master Adrian Ambrosius has already reached Hogwarts age.”
He turned toward a nearby goblin.
“Griphook.”
“Escort Young Master Adrian Ambrosius to his vault.”
As soon as the order was given, a goblin even shorter than the others hurried over.
It was Griphook.
He bowed respectfully.
“Young Master Adrian Ambrosius.”
“It is an honor to serve you.”
“Please, follow me.”